Chas sent me this observation that Prairiemary made to a discussion group on the ethics of “Creative Nonfiction” (I guess that’s what I write, mostly). It is so good that I will reproduce it whole (though I have put a particular sore point in bold- face). “Another factor to consider in this discussion is editors, …
Lost Airman – Modern Iceman
The LA Times carried pieces yesterday and today telling the intriguing story of a body found last Sunday in a glacier in Kings Canyon National Park here in California. The location is on the slopes of Mt. Mendel, a 13,710 foot peak located southwest of Bishop. It is believed to be the body of a …
Ramen – Now and Then
This article in the LA Times discusses the booming sales of instant ramen noodles in Mexico. Traditionalists are horrified that ramen is displacing the consumption of beans and rice, the historic food of the poor in Mexico. I have always been fascinated by cultural change as shown in food consumption “tipping points” such as the …
Anasazi Kiva Abandonment
Steve and Chas Clifton at nature blog posted here and here about a fascinating article in the High Country News that discussed a snake skeleton found on the floor of a kiva in the Mesa Verde area, apparently part of a ritual performed at the time the structure was abandoned. It was really a very …
Robot Camel Jockeys
Not a joke: Qatar has developed a lightweight robot jockey for camel racing, to replace the children who were preferred before. Unfortunately this version does not have the photo from the original dead- tree WSJ version of October 3.
Karma Light?
One used to go to the BBC and such papers as The Herald Tribune for information. But according to this hilarious item by Canadian columnist Michael Higgins, you might best avoid it. Maybe it’s my age or upbringing, but even moderately educated non- Catholics used to know that “Carmelites” were nuns, and that LATIN was …
Zuni Rock Art Blogging 2
For your enjoyment, I’m back with some more prehistoric petroglyphs from Zuni Pueblo in west central New Mexico. As I mentioned in this post there are some beautiful examples of rock art from an area near the northern edge of the reservation. I have always liked this cliff face which has a variety of geometrics, …
Islamic Indians??!!
At the wedding last Sunday, my brother- in- law, an anthropologist who has worked for more than 30 years with the Chamula Mayas of Chiapas, told me bemusedly that the latest fad for these VERY religiously syncretic people– they have incorporated their own Paganism, Catholicism, Presbyterianism, some sort of Evangelicism, and alchoholism with little effort. …
Microchip everything!
Eveyone interested in keeping domestic animals should read this post on animal control and the “PAWS” bill. The odd alliance of the AKC, the HSUS, and the worst of all, PETA, are lining up with the support of “conservative” presidential hopeful Rick Santorum in a bid to control all domestic cat and dog breeding and …
Beluga Caviar
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has banned importation of Beluga Caviar from the Caspian. Something had to be done. My only concern with a total ban is that, as always (and as in ivory before it) it equally penalizes those countries with real conservation, and those where poaching and corruption are rampant. Ironically, Iran …